Best Friends and the Unfortuante Roomates
by MaryJ43
Summary: April and Jackson adjust to living with their fellow residents and each other. Lines blur between roommates, love, lust, and jealousy makes things messy. Starts at 7x08 and it might get smutty in later chapters. JAPRIL FIC.
1. Chapter 1

So this is my second story. I hope you like it!

Characters belong to Shonda Rhimes.

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April walked across the street, hugging herself tightly. How the hell did she let that happen? What was she thinking? Well, honestly she was thinking that Alex is cute, okay, he is hot. He did amazing things today, and she just got sucked in. He had been inspiring and brave, kind and humble, and she felt smitten. She had been warned by Jackson and Lexie both that any interest in Alex Karev was asking for trouble. Alex was bad new sand she would get burned. And she did, quickly.

She felt like a teenage girl. She felt stupid and ashamed. He wanted her, he was kissing her and yanking her clothes off her. The way he pulled her down underneath him. And then it was too much, too fast. He was treating her like a groupie. He knew she was a virgin but he didn't care, it didn't matter. She didn't want to lose her virginity as a quickie in an on call room, but she would have, if he had just slowed down. But then he was yelling at her, about holding her "stupid virgin hand" and he just wanted her to "screw or get out." He walked out the door, slamming it behind him, leaving her shocked and embarrassed.

She found herself climbing the stairs to Christina and Hunt's house-warming shower. No matter how hard she wanted to push what had happened to the back of her mind, it wouldn't stay there. She rounded around the corner, suddenly realizing she forgot a present. She was so stupid. First Karev and now this. What kind of idiot forgets a present for a house-warming shower for god's sake. As she is spewing apologies to Hunt, who is graciously trying to console her, she breaks down. The tears start falling and it's too late to stop them. It's then that she hears his voice.

"April?" he calls softly. She spots him walking from the kitchen, in all his blurry glory. He quickly rushes towards her, his hands grabbing her wrists and gently leading her away. He pulls her into the kitchen with him and guides her so that they are standing in front of the fridge. He rests his hands on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "April," he tries again. She focuses on his face, and any hope of squashing what had just happened, and burying it in the closet disappears. His concern for her, his comforting touch, it's enough for her to confess her almost transgression.

"I should- I should have listened to you." She wipes at her eyes, taking deep breaths. Tears subsiding for the moment.

"What happened?" His soft tone had a slight edge to it.

"Alex, he-he kissed me," she begins, cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "and things got heated, and I asked him to slow down." Tears started falling again. "I didn't mean to make him so mad, but he started yelling at me and… and I don't understand what I did." She braved a glance up at him and there was no denying the rage in his eyes. She noticed the bottle of tequila in his hand and instantly regretted confiding in him. "Jackson, it's fine.. I'll be fine." She tried but then she saw Alex in the living room looking around. Jackson followed her gaze, and Alex spotted the pair huddled in the kitchen.

"Hey, just let me talk to her." Alex attempted, but Jackson had already closed the distance between them and punched him in the jaw. April was stunned at Jackson's violent outburst, but then he continued to hit the peds surgeon, even tackling him and continuing the onslaught of punches. April watched, horrified, as Owen and Sloan pulled the two apart and dragged Jackson back to the kitchen. She followed them, sparing a glance back at Alex as he was ushered outside by Meredith and Callie.

Owen still had a grip on Jackson, as the anger slowly ebbed out of his rigid frame.

"I'm good." Jackson tried, Owen shook his head in disbelief.

"You got to get a handle on yourself."

April stepped forward and stood in front of Jackson. "I'll take care of him, Dr. Hunt." Owen nodded at her and left the pair alone, but not before giving Jackson one more exasperated grimace.

Jackson was staring at his hand, it was already swelling. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, slightly groaning when he touched his knuckles. She smacked his shoulder with as much force as she was capable of, gaining his attention.

"What the hell was that for?" His green eyes wide.

"What the hell was that in there?" she countered, "You fighting for my virtue, Jackson?" She was pissed to say the least. He could have broken his hand; they completely obliterated the coffee table, making one hell of a mess.

"April, what he did, it's not okay." He tried.

"I know, but you shouldn't have done that." He nodded his head slowly.

"You're probably right, but he deserved it." He slightly grinned at her, causing her to mirror his expression.

"Yeah," she caved slightly. "Thank you." She smiled warmly at him. "I'm not one for violence, but knowing he is going to have one hell of a bruised face tomorrow… it, honestly, makes me feel better." She turned so that she was leaning beside of him on the counter. They fell into an easy silence as they watched the party return to normal, besides the stepping around shards of coffee table.

Things had changed between them since the shooting. After Reed and Charles died, they had become close. Their deaths had left a huge hole in both of them, and they turned to each other, morning their losses together because they were the only ones who understood. She was grateful to have him in her corner. Alex was right, he was her only friend with Reed gone. He had been her rock. And, she was his. She knew that. He leaned on her too.

She glanced up at Jackson and saw he was eye-stalking Lexie again, with that adorable dazed expression covering his face.

"You know," she started, wanting to protect him, "she is just as bad of an idea as Alex." She felt him looking at her now. April continued to watch Lexie talk animatedly with a scrub nurse. She understood the allure. Lexie was gorgeous and smart, and just a tad bit goofy. "She is in love with Mark, and Mark's in love with her, and you are going to get caught in that cross-fire."

"Yeah, what can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment." He said looking back at the brunette.

"Jackson, take it from someone who just caused a fight between two of her roommates because a stupid almost hook-up, this won't end well, she is a roommate too. And she dated Alex, it's weird." Jackson didn't look dissuaded.

"It's different. You are…" he paused and April waited patiently for whatever half-assed explanation he was going to come up with for it to make it okay for him to go after an unavailable woman. "You are special, innocent. I just want sex, I want sex with her." She rolled her eyes at him then, he was lying, to himself and her. Jackson wasn't that guy. That guy was Alex. He grabbed the bottle of tequila and took a large gulp.

"Alright, whatever you say." She took the bottle from him and took a swallow before handing it back to him. He looked at her questioningly. "It's for courage. I am going home and praying that Alex is at Joe's and then I am going to hide in my room."

"Want me to go with you?" He asked, standing at his full height, smiling down at her, seemingly amused by the uncomfortable situation he had made ten times worse.

"No, no… I think you have done enough. Stay, have fun. I'll see you at home." She grabbed his forearm and squeezed it gently. She turned away from him and walked out of the kitchen, stopping by Lexie. If it's what he really wants, why not?

"Hey Lex?" She interrupted. Lexie turned towards her inquisitively. "Do you mind getting some ice for Jackson. I have to run back to the hospital."

Lexie looked towards the kitchen, where Jackson was flexing his hand and wincing. April felt the need to go back to him and take care of him herself, but she was trying to help him.

"Yeah, I'll get it." Lexie walked into the kitchen as April started down the stairs, sighing slightly, hoping Jackson could figure things out before he got too deep. She walked out the front door only to come face to face with Alex who had been deep in conversation with Meredith. He scurried over to her from the car he was leaning on. She noticed the bruising on his cheek and the blood that had been smeared. She smiled at that, oddly comforted.

"April," he started but the quickly cut him off.

"No, I'm tired and I am going home and to bed." She walked past him and hailed a cab. She was definitely done with this day.

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I had to re-watch this whole season, it was good stuff. I forgot that Jackson was actually pretty funny. This story will be a lot different that the show, but I will use some of the plot elements, they just won't line up exactly the same.

Reviews are loved and cherished.


	2. Chapter 2

I hope you like it! All characters belong to Shonda Rhimes.

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Jackson had come home from the party with Lexie, after spending about an hour not-so-subtlety flirting, a little after midnight. Everyone had to work the night shift tomorrow since all the attending had taken the night off to celebrate Derek's grant. He was going to stay up as late as he could and then sleep all day.

He was attempting to entertain himself by watch tv in his new living room. New living room, as in new to him, but not really his. Nothing in the room belonged to him, and it was taking some adjusting. His old apartment was all him and Percy. Charles hadn't had many possessions when they started their intern year, enough furniture for his bedroom and a high end coffee pot. He said it was the only two things a man needs. Jackson laughed to himself remembering when they were working out who would bring what to their tiny ass apartment.

_"Sex and caffeine, Avery. Sex and caffeine," clasping Jackson's shoulder as if he had just given the secret to life._

_"You're kidding me, right?" Jackson rolled his eyes at the scruffy man. "And who the hell is going to have sex with a man who has no furniture?" _

_"Oh you just watch and see, man. I got some game." Percy grinned mischievously at him before walking out of the intern's locker room._

It had taken about six months before they had completely transformed the apartment into a low budget bachelor's pad. Jackson remembered when Charles parents came to their apartment to pack his things. He hid the coffee maker in his room, not willing to let go of it. His heart clinched at the memory. Him sitting on his bed next to it, fighting the tears that had been tearing him apart for days, thinking about how Percy would never bitch at him about not emptying it again. He was starting down that slippery road again. He could feel the helplessness and guilt, always there, just waiting for him to get wrapped up in a moment.

He fought against his oncoming emotional meltdown and went to the kitchen for a beer, or more tequila, whichever he could find. He pushed the kitchen door open, only to find April digging in the fridge.

"Hey!" He shouted at her, noticing she was fixing to throw away his leftover pizza. She jumped and squealed, and he laughed at her. She was so jittery.

"You scared me to death!" She fussed. "What's wrong?" She was in a white tank top and pajama bottoms, the island and counter was littered with empty containers, pots, and pans.

"What's wrong?" He repeated her question incredulously, "You are throwing away my pizza. I was planning on eating that." He walked up to her taking it from her and taking a big bite. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked back around the island, having a seat on one of the stools. "What are you doing up, I thought you had went to bed earlier."

"I tried but I…" She locked eyes with him. The pain in them told him exactly why she wasn't resting peacefully, it was the same reason he could barely stand to be alone anymore. He nodded his head, needing no further explanation.

"So you decided to clean out the fridge…"

"And cabinets," she interjected.

"…and cabinets," he rolled his eyes at her, smirking slightly, "at three in the morning."

"Yeah, I mean, why not? We have to be up all night tomorrow, right?" She smiled at him before returning to the expired milk.

"So, how did the rest of your night go?" April asked. He watched her sniff the carton before wrinkling her nose in disgust. It hadn't taken long for him to figure out why Lexie had come over and started icing his hand. She had pretty much spilled that April had asked her to take care of him within five minutes of her walking up to him.

"It went pretty well." She smiled brightly at him. "Although I'm confused, I thought Lexie was a bad idea, but you a playing cupid."

"Oh it is." She turned away from him, turning on the sink and pouring out the soured milk. "I have no doubts about that, but I want you happy. If she makes you the least bit happy, then I want that for you."

"Thank y-"

"but, when you are crying on my shoulder," she looked up at him, "manly crying" she clarified at his raised eyebrow, "I will whisper 'I told you so.'"

"Fair enough, but what is there to cry on. You and your boney-ass shoulders," he quipped.

"I have feminine shoulders, thank you!"

He reveled in the familiarity of being with her, picking at each other, all the while being there for each other. The darkness of his earlier trip down memory lane was quickly forgotten as he laughed at her feigned offence. She reached back into the fridge, rummaging through the bottles of condiments and dressings. He saw her freeze, quickly turning around with a bottle of fingernail polish in her hand. Her face crumpled and the bottle hit the floor. He quickly walked around the counter, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey, shh.. It's okay." He whispered, rubbing his hands up and down her back soothingly, trying to stifle her sobs. This is what would happen, she would stumble across something that reminded her of Reed or Charles and would break down into tears. He would always hug her or hold her hand, anything to let her know he was there for her. He assumed that at some point, it wouldn't break his heart a little bit to see her cry, but it always did. Every time he was close to lashing out while she was around, she was quick to distract him, mostly with some random, mumbled story that never failed to amuse or confuse him.

She rested her head on his shoulder, hiccups subsiding after a few minutes. She pulled away from him, breathing deeply. "I'm sorry. The fingernail polish," she stammered. "She used to put them everywhere the fridge and it would drive me nuts." He slightly laughed at that.

"I'm sure you were equally irritating." She glared at him through her smeared make up. Both turned at the sound of someone else walking into the kitchen. Karev walked in, staring at his phone. He looked up at them, eyes widening before quickly turning around and walking back out the door.

April looked back at Jackson. He wasn't sure if he should feel cocky or worried. He looked down at April and a huge smirk had broken across her face. He followed suit and their grins quickly turned into loud and obnoxious laughter. She continued laughing as she started cleaning up the mess she had made.

"You want some help?" he offered, sobering up.

"Uh… will you dry the dishes?" she asked hopefully. He instantly regretted his offer, but grabbed the dish towel and took his spot beside her.

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Hopefully I will post a new chapter within a few days. It will contain the Bailey-April talk, she will take something else out of it than she did in the show. These are the two episodes that made me ship Japril. I had to wait awhile, but I got it. Please review! I love reading what you guys think!


	3. Chapter 3

April was at a loss. She sat on a stool, staring at these two insane kids with their tongues and arms fused together. April continued examining the glued limbs while wondering how they haven't passed out from lack of oxygen. Nothing she tried had worked at getting them apart, which was fine with them. The boy's agitated father was behind her, muttering and groaning about puppy love. Meredith's suggestion of acetone didn't work and she was out of ideas.

Her night shift was awful. Nothing exciting was happening, well not to her anyway. She was stuck with the lovebirds while everyone else had surgical cases. She had spent most of the night shooting glares at Alex or all together ignoring him and his apology pizza. Pizza, she thought longingly. She was ravenous. Her French toast was long gone and she needed a break from the teenage romance. She smiled apologetically to the dad before excusing herself to go do some "research."

She rounded the corner into the emergency room lobby, stopping when she noticed a defeated Lexie standing in front of a grieving couple. She stood there watching them. The brunette looked as if she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. April felt bad for her. While she hadn't known Lexie that long, and they definitely had their differences, she knew her roommate carried her heart on her sleeve. April stood against the nurse's station, wanting to make sure she was all right. Lexie finally turned around; she walked over to the station, opening up a chart. She glanced up at April, her tears were evident.

"You alright?" April asked quietly.

"Yeah, I just…," she set the chart down on the counter, and began spilling her guts, " I came out of surgery to tell those parents that their son was still alive and in surgery, but they didn't," she paused to take a shaky breath, picking up the chart again, "they didn't even know that their younger son had already died." She shook her head while scribbling into the chart. "Tonight sucks. I'm covering the pit with Jackson. He is having some sort of PTSD thing, and he and Owen are in some sort of standoff. I don't know what to say to him, or how to help him." She shut the chart, looking at April expectantly.

April was worried about Jackson, his rage wasn't getting better. She was amazed they even let him operate today. The way Owen had been watching him ever since the trauma certification, she was sure he was going to have Jackson in mandatory therapy.

"Just give him time, he will be okay. He just has to work through things." April offered lamely. She honestly couldn't help Lexie. Jackson just simply needed time. Lexie did not look soothed by April's advice.

"That's all you got?" Lexie asked in disbelief.

"Um, actually, do you know how to get super glue off skin?" She asked hopefully. Lexie rolled her eyes and walked back towards the elevators. April shrugged it off, and continued to the vending machines. She spotted Bailey through the glass doors ahead of her and quickly sped up to catch her.

"Dr. Bailey! I'm glad you're here," she called as she burst through the double doors.

"I'm not here, you don't see me. I just need a nap before I go home," she muttered, "but first I need some food." Bailey stared longingly at the snack machine and April started to plead her case.

"This will just take a second. I got these two 15 year olds. They super glued themselves together. They are in love or whatever. They think they are" She continued to talk as Bailey started to giggle. "I tried petroleum and acetone to separate them but…"

"Don't separate them," Bailey interrupted softly.

"What?"

"Young people need love too," Bailey explained. "We all need love. If the world had more love we would end wars… and fistulas." She kept trying to put money into the machine and her face fell sadly when it kept returning it. "Why won't this damn thing take my money?" she whined.

"Dr. Bailey, are you drunk?" April asked sweetly. Bailey shook her head.

"Tipsy. Eh, a little tipsy." She began to stick her money in the machine again. April grinned, thoroughly entertained by seeing her normally hard-core attending, acting like a sweet lush. She took the money from Bailey and began to put it in the machine.

"I'm just gonna take care of this for you," she offered politely to the inebriated woman.

After getting Bailey a snack and finding an empty exam room, April found herself hooking her momentarily cordial attending up to a banana bag. Bailey began giggling, her face lighting up when her phone rang.

"It's the OR!" She quickly handed the phone to April.

"Hello.. um… this is Dr… Dr. Bailey's phone," she stammered, earning a half-laugh/half-wheeze from the owner. "No, she is, um... indisposed at the moment. Ah... page, page someone else... Thank you." April quickly closed phone, flustered. She looked back down at Bailey, who continued to laugh.

"That's good, now give me my phone. I need to call Ben." Baliey smiled fondly at the mention of the name.

"Who's Ben?" April couldn't recall the name.

"My ex," she explained, "I dumped him, which I now realize was a big mistake. So I wanna call him, I wanna call him and tell him I have needs." April grimaced as she continued to get more animated and detailed. "He knew how to take care of my needs in a way my husband did not! I want to tell him that." She laughed, "So give me my phone." She tried taking it from April, but April moved back just a bit.

"Are you sure about that?" She reasoned, "Cause drunk dialing never really ends well…" Bailey started fighting her for the phone, eventually yanking it from her grasp.

"You," she starts, pointing her phone at the young redhead, "are a virgin." April flinched back, startled slightly.

"Wow, word really does travel around here."

"I'm Bailey, I know everything." She stated simply. April stared away uncomfortably.

"Come… Come here Kepner." She took a few tentative steps towards the bed. "Closer… closer," she added in a sing-songy tone. April bent close to the other doctor, leaning over the bed. Her ear right at Bailey's mouth.

"Alex Karev is not the boy you want to take your maiden voyage with." Her attending nearly shouted in her ear.

"Oh.. Uh.. oh god." April shook her head and stepped back, mortified. "Yes… I know. I am aware. You don't need… uh…" She started fidgeting awkwardly.

"You need to take your maiden voyage with a nice boy." Bailey lectured. April slightly smiled at her, scratching her head in embarrassment. "A kind boy, who loves you. A boy that you love so much you wanna super glue yourself to. Believe me, even though you haven't met your Ben, you will meet your Ben. Not my Ben, but your own Ben." April grinned, amused by Bailey's drunken words of wisdom. Bailey lowered her head onto the pillow before quickly picking it back up.

"…who may, or may not be named… Ben." April nodded in understanding, still slightly uncomfortable.

"Use soap and warm water." Bailey said with her eyes still closed. April's faced scrunched in confusion.

"On… my maiden voyage?"

"On the super glue." Bailey clarified bluntly, opening her eyes and raising her head. "Soap, warm water, put a little acetone in there. Works like a charm."

"Okay, yes mam." April slightly stammered, quickly putting the bed rails up and running out the door.

It was four hours later when April had finally arrived home. She trailed in the front door behind Meredith, Alex, and Lexie, with Jackson on her heels. They all went into the kitchen for beers. April sat at the table with the girls while the guys stood at the island. She listened as they all went on about their nights. Grey and Karev laughing about Stark.

April's mind was elsewhere. She kept thinking about what Bailey had said to her, and how Bailey had acted after she had sobered up. She thought they had bonded, but no such luck. But April still wanted to heed her advice. She knew that Alex was a bad idea. She was never going to go back down that road. He was decent enough, sometimes, but being with him hadn't felt right. The way Bailey had talked, when you have sex with someone who cares about you, it's amazing, but unfortunately for April, no one was ever going to fall in love with her. She was neurotic and her voice drove most people insane. She wanted her first time to be special, to mean something… There just weren't any princes knocking down her door wanting to ravish her. There never has been.

"Earth to April." Jackson's voice took her out of her thoughts.

"Um.. yeah?" Her eyes locked with his, and she smiled at the curious expression on his face.

"Where did you go there?" He asked.

"Yeah space cadet." Alex added. April shot Alex a glare before turning back to Jackson.

"Just a long night…" She smiled fondly at him, his green blue eyes, slightly droopy from exhaustion.

It suddenly hit her. _Jackson…_ She looked down at her beer bottle and began to peel at the label, while her mind began to race. She could give her virginity to him. He would be gentle with her. She would look back in 20 years and remember when she gave her virginity to her best friend, who stood up for her and protected her. She always felt safe with him, and he was wasn't hard on the eyes in the least. She had never really considered him before. He was always hot, but when they started out, he was pretty slutty and she was focused on her internship, they just fell into their friendship. They were comfortable with each other and she loved him in her own way.

She felt her cheeks heat as she thought of a naked Jackson on top of her, pressing into her while kissing her neck. She risked a glance at him. He was standing there, propped against the stove. He had a soft smile playing across his lips. She followed his gaze and landed on a giggling Lexie. She looked back down, reminding herself that, while she might think it would be a good idea, it wouldn't matter because he wanted someone, but it wasn't her.

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**Sorry about the delay. Been a tough 2 weeks, but I get my degree on Thursday so WHOOT WHOOT.**

**So leave me a graduation present and review. Pretty please...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait guys, this chapter was a doozey and much, much longer. It had a lot in it, and I really wanted to get it right. It is rated M now, and for a reason. Let me know how I did because I am really nervous about it.. **

**Thank you!**

**Oh and they aren't mine, they are SHONDAS.**

Jackson rushed down the hall, dodging nurses and meal carts. He pushed the door to the resident's locker room. He just had to change clothes so he could head over to Joe's. He had promised to save Lexie from her deal with Sloan.

Their contest with Bailey had been a bust. A male nurse, of all people, had figured out how to prevent fistulas. Jackson was not all that upset about losing though. He had spent most of the day engaged in friendly competition with April and Lexie. Watching April and Lexie make digs at each other had been thoroughly entertaining. He even took the opportunity to make some himself. It was the first day in a long time where he had actually forgot about the shooting and he didn't spend his time trying to keep a grip on himself. Things were getting better.

He reached his locker and pulled the scrub top over his head, throwing it on the bench. He started pulling at the strings of his bottoms. He looked over his shoulder when he heard the door open. April stomped into the room. She went to the trash can with a small stack of papers. She let out a frustrated groan before ripping the stack into pieces, then she shoved them into the can.

"What are you doing?" Jackson was so distracted by her actions, he forgot about what he was doing.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. She whipped around, her eyes landing on him and widening. "What—um, sorry, I didn't… I thought I was the only one in here." He noticed her face redden, her hand went into her hair, and she fidgeted weirdly.

"Was that your patient protocol?" He turned to face her fully, eyebrows raised. She nodded her head and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it isn't going to do too much good now, right?" She looked away from him and glanced at the door.

"Hey, you didn't lose." He smiled reassuringly at her. She avoided his gaze, and he conceded. "Okay, well you did, but so did everyone else. Except that damn nurse." Jackson shook his head disbelievingly, kicking his shoes off.

"Yeah, yeah. I'd like to see him take out a gallbladder through someone's mouth." She walked to her locker, never looking at him. Jackson sighed and continued with the task at hand, he grabbed a gray t-shirt. He looked over at April who had taken a seat on the bench. She untied her sneakers and placed them neatly in the bottom of the locker.

"So, I am going to Joe's to interrupt Lexie's drink with Sloan." He volunteered as he pushed his arms through the sleeves.

"Why is she having dri—" She had looked at him but quickly turned back towards her locker. "Why is she having drinks with him? And why are you interrupting them?" Her eyes were scrunched in confusion as she stared at the contents of her locker.

"She asked me to." He couldn't help but get slightly defensive at the question. He stepped in his jeans, pulling them up and buttoning them. "She agreed to have drinks with him if he would help her with Eli, and it just ended up biting her in the ass."

"Oh, sounds reasonable. I mean, who wouldn't agree to go out with their ex if they do you a favor." She grabbed her clothes, unfolding them and laying them out beside of her.

Jackson pulled out his jacket, shrugging off her comment. "I'll see you at home in a little bit, okay?"

She finally looked at him, a small but genuine smile gracing her pretty face. "Yeah, I'll see you at home."

Ten minutes later, Jackson walked into Joe's. It was lightly littered with Christmas lights and bar patrons. Jackson scanned the room for the damsel in question. His eyes landed on two figures that seemed to be lost in their own world. Lexie was inches away from Mark's mouth, gazing at him as if he was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen.

"Uh, hey Lexie, I just got a page," Her head semi-turned to his direction, only to turn back to Mark when his hand swept up to her face. "Bailey wants us back at the hospital."

"Could you take care of it for me?" She never spared him a glance, too wrapped up in the plastic surgeon.

"Yeah… Sure..." He looked down at the floor, he wished he hadn't even spoken. He looked back up at the love-struck couple. He smiled ruefully and walked out the door, back towards his car in the hospital parking deck.

He should have known better. He should have known that they would wind up back together. Mark was the one who took care of Lexie after the shooting. Jackson was there when Lexie and Mark broke up and she was a mess who turned to Alex. He reached his car. He climbed in the driver's seat and headed towards home.

April was right, he shouldn't have gone there. She called it the night she confessed to being a virgin and then called everybody out on their shit. He wasn't all that upset about it. He just wished he had gotten a real shot.

He parked his car in front of Meredith's, noticing that the only car there was April's old Camry. He walked inside the house; he saw her sitting on the couch, flipping through the tv channels. She wore a fuzzy lavender sweater, blue jeans, and barefoot. She had taken out the braid in her hair from earlier and she had it pushed behind her ears. He walked into the room and flopped down beside her. Somehow, being with her always made things better. He felt like she took some of the weight off him.

"Oh, hey! Did you rescue Lexie?" She kept pushing the buttons on the remote.

"Um.. I think she and Mark are back together…" She frowned, finally looking at him. She reached out and rubbed his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be." He patted her knee and smiled warmly at her. "Besides, shouldn't you being saying 'I told you so.'"

She giggled softly, "Yeah, I should. But I won't, it's implied."

"Well, it's just me and you again. I'll take that any day." He looked over at her; his eye brow quirked in confusion when her head whipped over to him, her green eyes wide.

"Yeah," she whispered, "me and you."

Her gaze didn't waver from his. He smiled, more to himself than to her. It had been him and her since the shooting. He hadn't always realized how great she was. In the beginning she was so hell bent on getting everyone to like her, she quickly scared them off. Once she stopped trying, she proved to be a force worth reckoning with and someone you wanted in your corner. They had gone through so much together, even before the shooting. They had been together since intern year, but hadn't really been particularly close until recently. Something about going through a traumatic event like that made them hold on to each other, the only remaining thing from before.

He was so lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed April had closed the distance between them until he felt her soft lips on his. Her hands lightly gripped both sides of his face as she followed each intoxicating kiss with another. She was on her knees beside him on the couch, leaning into his side. Before his brain had time to object, his hands slipped into her auburn hair, securing her face to his and returning her sweet kisses with eager ones of his own. She tasted like strawberries and radiated warmth. The small moan she released as he slipped his tongue into her mouth brought him back to reality and he pulled away, breathing heavily. She didn't let go of his face nor did he take his hands from her hair. Her gazed flickered from his lips to his eyes and he felt her lean in to kiss him again.

"Wait a minute..." he whispered as he stared at her lips, which were mere inches from his own. Then he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. They were slightly hooded, yet her green orbs were burning brightly. She looked more alive than he had ever seen her and a fresh wave of desire shot through him. "April what are we doing?" The smile she gave him was unintentionally seductive. He had never seen her like this. She had always been pretty, but right now, she was the sexiest thing he had ever laid eyes on.

"I've been thinking," her voice was low and confident as her eyes bored into his."I want my first time to be special, and I know now that I may never get a prince charming to come and have his way with me, but I can have a night with you." He was swimming in a pool of confusion and lust. "I can have a special night with my best friend, who cares about me, who can give me a night that I will never forget or regret." Jackson regarded her as carefully as he was capable of, still not quite sure of his next move. Before Jackson could manage to make his mind up, April raised one of her legs over to the other side of him, so that she straddled him but held herself above him and didn't touch him anywhere but his face as she looked down at him penetratingly. "Hey," she whispered as she stroked his jaw with her thumb. "Something that feels this good can't be bad, right?" He saw a trace of vulnerability cross her face, but he reached up and captured her lips again, plundering her mouth with his tongue as any ability to think rationally fled his mind. His hands slid up her back and pulled her closer against him. Her flat stomach was pressed against his chest as her tongue danced deliciously with his. His hands trailed back down towards her waist, sliding them up underneath her sweater, gripping her sides. She slid down his chest, settling lightly in his lap. Jackson faintly tensed when she brushed against his erection and was surprised when she whimpered, pressing herself more firmly against him. Her mouth left his and she started trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down the side of his neck. She licked right below his ear and Jackson wasn't able to suppress his growl or stop his hips from thrusting up into hers. April groaned and pulled back to look at him.

Jackson could already feel the disappointment flowing through him as he waited for her to tell him she changed her mind and it was too much.

"Let's go upstairs." It came out as a breathless whisper. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen and glistening.

"Are you sure?" He needed her to be sure; he didn't want to push her but she felt so damn good.

Her eyes widened, surprised, "Oh, um…" She looked around confused. "I really don't think we should do it here." She laughed awkwardly, "I mean, someone could come home at any time and I…" She trailed off as a small laugh escaped him. Of course she would completely misunderstand his question, but he took her answer as a yes. He covered her mouth with his, gripping her thighs as he stood up with her wrapped perfectly around him, her arms locked around his neck and her legs enclosed his waist. The squeak-turned-moan that left her mouth as he started up the stairs made him smirk with satisfaction.

He took her to his room, knowing that she wouldn't have what they needed in hers. He quickly opened the door and put her down once inside of it, only pulling away from her to lock the door. When he turned back around, she had stepped out of reach. The room was dimly lit by a lamp beside his bed he had left on this morning and the moonlight that streamed through his window. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she pulled the bottom of her sweater up, causing Jackson's breath to hitch. He watched entranced as she pulled it over her head and tossed it to the side, revealing the matching lavender bra underneath. He fought the need to touch her as she started unbuttoning her jeans. Jackson's will power gave out as she started to shimmy out of them. He nearly ran to her, crashing his lips to hers. He felt her step out of her jeans, and then he felt her tugging at his.

He stepped back from her again, taking the opportunity to run his eyes all over her. She was impeccable, all fair skin and petite curves. He pulled his t-shirt off and kicked out of his shoes. He could feel her watching him as he pulled his jeans and socks off, leaving him only in a pair of dark green boxer breifs. He looked back up at her. It was insane how innocent and sexy she looked all at the same time. The need in her eyes mirrored his own as he pulled her body against his, reveling in the skin on skin contact as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips. He kissed her slowly as he turned them and he sat on the bed with her standing between his legs slightly hunched down. He pulled away from her mouth and explored her neck. He sucked lightly on strategic places, loving every sound he earned. Her fingernails scraped lightly along his scalp and moved down to grip his shoulders. He bit lightly on her collar bone, before kissing down to her cleavage, and then licking her just below her bra. Her breath caught as his hands slid to her back, finding the clasp and expertly unhooking it. April took the initiative and moved her arms just a bit so that the garment fell to the floor. Jackson was eye level with her newly bare breasts and he marveled at them. They were flawless, he moved his hands to explore them, pleased when she pressed them further into his hands. Her tight pink nipples made his mouth water. He released one of her breast to pull her closer to him, sucking the nipple into his mouth as soon as she was close enough. His hands explored her every curve as he suckled and nibbled her. He felt her shudder against him, he looked up to see her mouth partly open, her eyes closed in pleasure. He repeated the action on the other breast, only stopping when the sounds she made drove him to the brink of insanity. He stood back up, finding her mouth again as he went. He reached down and pulled her white cotton panties down just far enough so that gravity would take care of the rest. He turned her so that she could lie down on the bed. He quickly followed her to the top. He looked down at her with adoration, loving how much trust she had in him.

"You are amazing, April Kepner," he whispered into her ear, nibbling lightly on her lobe. She smiled up at him when he pulled back. His answering smile faltered when her hands lightly skimmed down his back and pulled down the waistband of his underwear, using her feet to slide them off. He reached over to his night stand and grabbed a condom out of the drawer, ripping the wrapper and leaning back slightly to roll it on. She was watching him, seemingly mesmerized. He covered her body with his, kissing her deeply. His fingers snaked down her abdomen and brushed her bundle of nerves with his fingertips. She whimpered into his mouth and her hips trembled. He repeated the motion, making circles around it. Her hips bucked up against his hand and she tore her mouth away from his.

"Please, Jackson." He pulled his hand away from her and positioned himself at her entrance. She was so ready for him, he could barely restrain himself. He was done holding back what they both wanted. He found both of her hands and intertwined their fingers, moving them so they were on each side of her head. He braced his weight on his elbows as he loomed over her. He watched her intently, looking for any sign of hesitation. She tightened the grip on his hands and closed the distance between their lips. Jackson didn't waste another moment as he smoothly slid into her, feeling her barrier give way. He groaned at how tight she was, swallowing her small cry as he continued to kiss her soundly. He stilled inside of her, slowly moving further as he stretched her to take all of him. She began to impatiently rock her hips against his, and Jackson pulled back out of her, then he buried himself completely inside her. His heart thundered in his chest as he took her with slow leisurely thrusts and April made satisfied whimpers into his mouth. His hand released hers and skimmed down to her thigh, pulling it over his hip. She copied the movement with her other leg, tightening her legs around him and taking him deeper, wrapping her arms around his torso. She pulled away from his mouth and gasped for air as his thrusts intensified, her head rolling back into his pillow and her back arching. Jackson took advantage and locked an arm sound her waist and flipped them so she was on top of him. The new view was well worth the effort as she sat up, slightly giggling at the quick change of position. She leaned down over him, kissing him and pulling him into a sitting position. His hands found her hips and he began to guide her up and down his length. She pulled away from his mouth once she began to increase the pace that he had started. Her gaze locked with his and he lost himself in her eyes, truly amazed by what she was giving him and how right it felt. He felt her walls tightening around him, causing his toes to curl as he fought for control. Her head fell back as she sunk down on him, her pace frenzied. He began to cover her flushed neck and chest in wet kisses as he felt her tremble around him. When she finally came apart, she softly moaned "Oh my god, Jackson," while her hips jerked. He followed her over the edge, burrying his face in her neck as a powerful orgasm took hold of him. He gritted out her name as he desperately gripped her hips, pleasure flowing hotly through his body.

He was still lost in the pleasure when he felt her breathless laugh against his cheek. He drew back and saw her dazzling smile. He couldn't help but return it as he lay back on the bed, utterly spent. She followed him, kissing him softly before rolling beside of him.

"Wow, that was amazing." He admitted. He looked over at April, who was still smiling while trying to catch her breath.

"Yes, best idea ever." He watched as her smile fell.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He turned to his side, running his hand down her cheek, trying not to panic.

"I just don't really know what happens now." She looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorta new to all this..."

"Me too," he agreed. He chuckled softly at her disbelieving eyebrow. "I mean, I haven't ever had great sex with my best friend before. Uncharted territory for me too." He watched her for a moment, taking the time to choose the right words.

"And to answer you're first question, I guess whatever we want to happen. Do you..." he struggled for words, the first time he has been this nervous in a long time. "Do you want to sleep here?

"Yeah. That sounds nice." She looked relieved at his suggestion. "I'm just gonna run to the bathroom." She climbed out of his bed and grabbed his t-shirt off the floor. She slipped it on and walked towards the door. Jackson climbed out of the bed and pulled his blankets back, laughing as April ran to the bathroom to avoid being caught. He clamoured back into bed, ignoring the feeling that he had completely changed his relationship with one of the most important people in his life.

April came rushing back into the room, closing the door behind her. She looked down at Jackson with a shy smile. Jackson found himself infatuated with the adorableness that is April Kepner. He rolled onto his side and pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed.

"Come on." His statement left no room for argument and April quickly crossed the room and climbed in beside him. She rolled so that her back was to him and she snuggled back into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

After a few moments Jackson finally got the nerve up to ask her, "Are we okay, April?" He needed to know they hadn't completely screwed up their friendship. She didn't reply and Jackson looked down to find her sleeping peacefully. He smiled to himself before cuddling closer to her and drifting into a nightmare-free sleep.

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**And there we are folks, I really hope you like it! Also, just wanted to say I loved the finale. I really wish we would have got an answer, and I also wish that when he came out of that fire like a total badass, she would have flung herself in his arms, even though I pretty sure he broke one. Either way, I think I have a one shot cooking up for it.. And I am also just choose to believe that he told her he loved her and they are going to have a happy summer. I do realize these are fictional characters, they just don't feel that way...**

**Also, if anyone wants to, my tumblr is .com.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! Thanks for your reviews! They mean a lot. I hope you like this chapter!**

April was roused from her sleep by the faint sound of an alarm clock. She slowly started to move, too warm and wrapped too tightly. As her brain began to kick on, memories from the night before came flooding back and her eyes snapped open. She was treated to the sight of her sleeping best friend whose caramel skin seemed to glow from the sunlight emitting from his window. He was lying on his stomach beside her, his face turned towards her and both his arms folded underneath his pillow. He seemed so beautifully peaceful, his face relaxed and his breathing deep and even. She also noticed his long legs and elbows taking up most of the bed, leaving her with just a tiny portion. The overwhelming heat she was suffering from was due to her somehow managing to cocoon herself tightly in his thick red comforter, and since she had all the blankets, she looked down to see Jackson's perfect butt. She stifled a giggle at the sight of him, completely sprawled out and absolutely naked. She continued to stare at him, appreciating all his perfect body parts, the defined muscles that covered his back and the part of his arm that she could see. The alarm clock that had woken her rang out again, only louder. It was coming from Meredith's room. She looked back at Jackson, only to find his forehead creased and one sea green eye cracked open and looking at her.

"Hi," she whispered quietly.

"Why am I so cold?" he mumbled into his pillow. His voice was thick with sleep and the confused expression never left his face. She had never figured the first thing the man who took who virginity would say during the morning after would be quite so mundane.

"Oh, I... um..." Jackson looked down and spotted all the blankets wrapped around April.

"Unbelievable! You took all the blankets." He started grabbing at them, smiling wickedly at her when she fought him to keep them from him. She laughed as he turned on his side, using both hands to pry the blankets away from her enough for him to cover himself up.

"I had to use them as a backup in case I fell on the floor, you bedhog."

Jackson quickly locked an arm around her waist and hauled her up against his chest. "Then sleep closer," he teased. She let out a squeak of surprise as she found herself pressed firmly against his bare torso and her eyes were locked in his captivating gaze. Even though she was wearing his t-shirt, the warmth from his skin seeped through and caused sparks across her chest. He seemed to be caught off guard too, as the jovial expression on his face was replaced by a hungry one that made her somewhat-sore insides clench. She was amazed by how quickly her body responded to him, her heart rate increased and arousal pooled inside of her. His gaze flickered between her eyes and mouth and she was unable to think complete thoughts. He closed the gap between them, quickly rolling her on her back as he devoured her mouth. She easily complied, running her hands up and down his back as he moved to lie between her legs. She could feel his morning erection against her thigh, and she moaned hungrily against his mouth. Her hand snaked down between them. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she decided to follow her urges and they screamed for her to touch him. So she did. She wrapped her hand around his shaft. He groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder, his breathing labored as she pumped her hand up and down his length. His arms were on either side of her head. He used his elbows to hold most of his weight off of her as she continued to pump him.

"April..." He hissed into her neck as he sucked in a breath. It was amazing how much his pleasure was turning her on. She wanted him desperately. She used her other hand to blindly fumble for his nightstand. She slid the drawer open and dug around for a condom. She couldn't believe she was going to do this with him again, but the thought of not doing it again was unbearable.

They both jumped and instantly stilled when someone pounded loudly on his bedroom door.

"Hey Dr. Shit-for-Brains." Both of them watched the door carefully, unable to remember if it was locked. Jackson quickly rolled off her and tip-toed to the door, sliding on his boxers in the process. "You left your pager downstairs. There is an incoming trauma and we gotta cover the pit, let's go!" Jackson unlocked his door as April tried to make herself as small as possible and hid under the blanket. She heard him crack to door open.

"Hey man," Jackson coughed, trying to rid himself of the huskiness in his voice. "I'll be right there. Thanks."

"What the hell is wrong with you? You look sick. You know what, never mind. Just get it together and let's go. Kepner must have slept there so she is getting her pick first. I'll be damned if she is getting all the kick-ass surgeries today."

"Alright!" Jackson snapped at him, "I'm coming." April heard the door close and she peeked out from under the covers. She watched as Jackson dug through his drawers. He threw a pair of jeans and a sweater on the bed. He gave her an apologetic smile. "You have no idea how bad I wanted to finish that," he pouted.

"What are we gonna do about Alex? He is gonna see my car out front," ignoring his statement as she started to panic.

"I'll tell him you rode with me yesterday. Calm down." Easy solution, she could figure out some reason for not already being there, she wasn't technically supposed to work today but that had never stopped her before.

"Why do you care if Alex figures this out? Do you still have a thing for him?" There was a small trace of hurt in his voice that pulled April back into the moment.

"Oh no, God no." She shook her in a near violent manner. Slightly appalled that he could even think that she would sleep with him to get back at Alex. "I just don't want everyone to know that I lost my virginity last night, that's between you and me. Lord knows what kind of rumors would be flying around the hospital, and I don't want him making fun of me anymore than he already does."

He just nodded at her before sliding his clothes on. "I'll rush him out and then you can get ready. I think Meredith and Derek have already left so…" The awkwardness that flooded the room was intolerable. Their cozy bubble from this morning had burst and the reality of their situation had fought it's way between them. She had no idea where they go from here, what they were to each other, what they wanted from each other… He continued to stare uneasily at her and she felt guilty for causing the tension between them.

"I'll talk to you at work?" It was all she had, it was a promise to sort through whatever this means, not to just awkwardly gawk at each other like they were doing now.

"Yeah, I'll see you." He smiled warmly at her. He grabbed his bag from the floor before walking up to where she was in his bed. She sucked in a breath as one of his hands cradled her face and he leaned down. She turned her face up to his and he pressed a soft kiss on her lips. He walked towards the door, looking at her one last time before closing the door behind him.

April let out a huff of frustration. She had thirty minutes. Thirty minutes to sort through the wide range of emotions she was feeling and figure out something to tell Jackson before she had to be at work to deter Alex's probing questions. She threw Jackson's covers back and climbed out of the bed. She started rearranging the covers in a quick effort to make the bed but stopped short when she noticed the faint stain, evidence of her surrendered virtue.

Her mind flooded with memories of the night before. It had been wonderful. She had never felt anything like the way he had made her feel before. Most of her insecurities had fled her and she had felt sexy and desirable for the first time in her life. The way he looked at her and touched her, exciting her and calming her all at the same time, was overwhelming but in the best possible way. For the first time in her life, she just felt. She didn't over think and analyze everything and it was freeing. It was thrilling and he had felt oh so right. With Alex, she had been scared and felt pushed, but last night, she knew what she wanted and Jackson seemed to have some sort of link and gave her exactly that. She had never felt so safe and connected to someone else in her entire life. She knew it was because Jackson was the person she trusted and cared about most in the world. There was some pain at first, but it was overshadowed by the breathtaking sensation of him filling her for the first time. She was aching for him and his every thrust fed her hunger. She was in awe of the entire experience. It was one she would never want to give up. So, she decided as she ditched the idea of making the bed and instead ran into the shower, she did not regret being with Jackson. She just needed to know where they go from here. What he felt about her, because she certainly wasn't sure about what she felt for him. There were new feelings, she assumed they came with having passionate sexual encounter with someone, but she wasn't sure what they meant. She did know that he irrevocably altered her, and now April Kepner was sexually active. She felt like her entire body had been awakened and wanted to make up for lost time. She reminded herself that she had asked him for one night after she kissed him. Her insecurities came back full force as it dawned on her that maybe he had given into her advances because she had said that. One night, maybe that was all he wanted. Just one night.

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**I hope you liked it. I know it didn't resolve anything but I didn't make April religious... I actually had an issue with that on the show because it didn't add up story wise. I don't have a problem with it, but it seemed like it was just a plot device. Anyway, I think next chapter will be from April's POV too and will pick up at the hospital, it will be like part 2 of this chapter. Let me know what you think about the morning after..**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the hold up. There was just so much I wanted to put into this chapter and so I kept putting it off. I just wanna say thank you for all the lovely reveiws. They mean the world to me. And also thanks for the follows and favorites. You guys rock.**

**Not my characters.**

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April hadn't been able to have her heart-to-heart with Jackson for the first four hours of her shift. She arrived at the hospital after a ten minute debate about her hair and makeup. She wanted to look good for him, but didn't want it to be obvious, and she was pissed because she was questioning herself, something she never did when it came to him. She had settled on straight hair with the top pinned back and just an extra bit of mascara. The incoming trauma had taken priority. An eight car pile-up had the pit crowded with people. She had been called into emergency surgery with Bailey as soon as she had got there. She noticed Jackson's name on the OR board as she wheeled her patient down the hall. At least they were both preoccupied for the moment. That had lasted for a little over three hours.

Afterwards, she had finally found the courage to face him. Her had stomach fluttered violently when she found him talking to a patient in the emergency room. She watched him as he talked easily with an elderly man in a wheel chair. She was fascinated by him. She had been around this man nearly every day for the past five years of her life, and in one day she had went from being ambivalent of his looks (he was handsome, fact of life... moving on...) to being completely infatuated with everything about him. His hypnotic eyes, the way he looked in his light blue scrubs, the confidence and easy grace that he carried himself with… She shook her head, a vain attempt to rid the inappropriate thoughts she was having about her oldest friend. He had begun consulting with a nurse, completely focused on his work. She started walking towards him, wondering how the hell all her coworkers could manage to have all these sexual relationships with each other. She couldn't focus, her nerves were fried, she was daydreaming (Bailey had given her a few dirty looks from across the table), and she was terrified of being alone with him. She was afraid of she would make an absolute fool of herself. When she made it just a few feet away from him she heard Hunt yell her name. April's entire body froze when Jackson's head snapped up and spotted her. She quickly tore her gaze from him and whipped around to her mentor.

"I need you to discharge any and every one you can right away. We need more room for incoming traumas."

She forced a tight smile, "Right away, Dr. Hunt." She turned back to Jackson who had closed most of the remaining distance between them. As she looked up into his eyes, she felt like her heart was beating in her throat. His expression seemed concerned and nervous, and some other emotions she could pin down.

"I… I'm sorry. I have to... Well you heard Hunt." She awkwardly pointed behind her to where Hunt had just disappeared down the hall. She cleared her throat, fighting her nerves, "I have to go."

She started to turn away from him when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned back to see him staring imploringly at her.

"Come find me as soon as you're done." She didn't say a word to him because she wasn't able to, she just nodded weakly at him before she scurried away.

It takes a little over two hours to discharge five of patients and now she finds herself standing just a few yards away from him. He is suturing a little blond-headed girl's leg while April charts at the nurse's station. They take turns stealing glances at each other. Every time she catches him looking at her or he catches her, she blushes like a school girl and looks back at the computer. She is fighting her every impulse to run and just act like it never happened because it would be so much easier. Even though it would be all she could think about... But when she forgets that she isn't supposed to be looking at him and finds him watching at her again, she can feel the heat in his stare. It makes all her other worries fall away and suddenly all she wants is to be alone with him. She subconsciously licks her lips and his eyes darken.

"Kepner, what's with the face?" She looks to her left and sees Bailey at the counter giving her another glare. "Are those charts not entertaining you? You can take care of my post-ops if you'd like." April flushes and turns back to her work.

"No I... I'm fine. Not bored. I just..." When she looks back up to the woman she holds partly responsible for her current predicament, she decides that maybe she could solicit some advice from her. Her normal confidant was now her issue, and Meredith would either offer awful advice or taunt her.

"I took your advice," April says as she continues to stare at the computer in front of her.

"Of course you did," she huffs incredulously as she flips through her chart. "If I offer advice, it's taken. Simple as that." Bailey continues writing in one of the charts that are stacked around her. "And what advice did you take?" Her reluctant question causes April to glance up at her. Bailey is looking at her curiously out of the corner of her eye and April takes it as invitation to unload on her.

"I gave—I took…" Bailey's face turns impatient so she quickly spits it out. "I took my maiden voyage…" Bailey's eyes go wide, "with Jackson, I—I mean Dr. Avery."

"Kepner! Why are you telling me this?" She hisses lowly at her.

April's mouth dropped open. "Because you told me to…" she glances around, making sure no one is within ear shot and begins to whisper lowly, "to take it with a nice, kind boy who cares about me." Her voice rises to match the emotional turmoil she is feeling. "I did that. He is all those things, and now everything is completely screwed up!" Bailey's eyes dart over to where Jackson is still stitching up the little girl.

"Was it bad?" Bailey probes with a hint of disbelief, her eyes still on Jackson. April's mouth manages to drop a little more.

"No!" She snaps. "It was good." She exaggerates the last word, eyes fluttering close as she remembers how good. "Very good. But we are friends and now everything is weird, and I don't know how he feels, or really even how I feel." She starts to ramble and Bailey quickly hushes her.

"Kepner, I never told you to sleep with your friend. It makes things messy and complicated. But what's done is done. You can't take it back. Deal with it head on and be honest with him. It can only be screwed up if you let it be." She nods her head in agreement. "Now I need to go away from you now. This was all more than I ever wanted to know about you." April can't help her eyeroll as Bailey eyes her guardedly, as if she is scared that April will spill more unsolicited secrets. April watches Bailey turn away from her and quickly march down the hallway.

"Hey, can we talk now?" Jackson startles her and she nearly jumps from her chair. She recovers quickly to find him smirking down at her, apparently amused by her gracelessness.

"Um… Yeah. Sure." She drops some papers when she abruptly stands up and groans as she quickly picks them up and slams them back down on the counter. She follows him to the nearest on-call room. He goes in first, walking to the middle of the room and turning to face her. He pushes his lab coat back just enough to rest his hands on his hips. She closes and locks the door behind her and leans back against it.

"So…"she begins, "I am sorry I have made things so weird between us." You can't go wrong if you start with an apology.

His face softens and he shakes his head. "It's not weird, I just don't know what is going through your head and I'm not used to it. Normally I know exactly what you are thinking, but I have no idea how you feel about last night."

She laughs at that because she feels the same way. "Okay, so… ask me anything." She doesn't want to answer questions first, but she is the one who made things complicated. His eyebrow arches and she sits on one of the beds.

"Did you sleep with me because we—or I made fun of you for being a virgin?" he asks nervously, and her eyes shoot up to his. He looks ashamed and she knows that question has been running through his head all day.

"No, no... I promise that had nothing to do with it. I have spent most of my life being made fun of, I'm used to it." He nods his head as relief washes over his face.

"So then why?"

"Bailey," she answers truthfully and his face scrunches as if he didn't hear her right. "Bailey was drunk the other night and told me to sleep with you." His mouth drops open slightly.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"She told me to… um… give my flower," she winces at her choice of words, "to someone who is nice and kind, and cares about me." She waves her arm in his direction. "That would be you." Some of the confusion leaves his face as he continues to watch her.

"So you just decided to have sex with me because drunk Bailey told you to?"

"No, I… you were being you and once the thought was there, I couldn't shake it. Honestly, I didn't think it would go far at all. I thought that I would kiss you and you would pull away and look at me like I was crazy. It would be awkward for a few minutes and then we would move on. But when I kissed you… it felt," She looks up at him to gage his reaction, "it felt right. I wanted it; I wanted you. And it seemed like you wanted me too."

He lets out a huff of air as he moves to sit beside her. "I did. You were so intoxicating," he confesses fondly. She eyes his hands, which are gripping the tops of his thighs. She blushes as thinks about all the places those hands have touched her. "Do you regret it?" he asks, and pulls her from her corrupt thoughts. They both stare at the opposing wall as she carefully picks her words.

"No, I'm just scared it's going to mess everything up," she admits. "You are kinda all I have here."

"So then we won't let it. We are friends who have had sex. We aren't the first and won't be the last. We won't let it ruin us." She nods her head in agreement but she still has one more confession.

"But… I want." Her courage fails before she can finish her sentence and she can feel his eyes on her.

"What do you want?" he asks her softly. She turns to face him, everything she wants from him filling her mind. He must have caught the direction of her thoughts because he swallows thickly and his eyes drop to her lips.

"April, we really shouldn't." It's just a whisper and it sounds more like he is trying to convince himself.

"But we could." She argues weakly, watching his mouth. "What if we promise each other no matter what, we have to stay friends. We won't let this ruin us, right?" She looks into his eyes as she repeats his words back to him. "If it starts getting messy or one of us wants out, we'll stop. No hard feelings." She whispers as a small grin graces his face. He turns his torso towards her, one arm wrapping around her waist as the other moves up to her caress her cheek.

"You know it won't be that easy." It's a husky murmur that goes straight to her spine and makes her shudder.

She shakes her head in disagreement as she wraps one arm around his neck and the other grabs the front of his scrub top, pulling him closer to her. His mouth is just inches from hers now and her body starts buzzing from the proximity.

"It has to be." Her tone is desperate and laced with need and she watches his eyes darken to where they are the color of a stormy ocean. His hand moves from her cheek to the back of her neck and he quickly pulls her mouth to his, sucking on her top lip and then biting her bottom. Her mind takes a moment to rejoice as she frantically pulls at his scrub top, wanting skin to skin contact. He pulls away enough to take it off and pulls hers over her head. They are both panting as he pushes her back onto the bed, hovering over her as he kisses from below her ear to her collar bone. Her hands trace his back and arms, everywhere she can reach, and then she is wiggling underneath him, kicking off her shoes as he does the same, and she slides off her scrub bottoms, socks, and panties. He is wearing way too many clothes for her liking and pulls at the strings of his pants. He locks his arms in a push up position so she can pull his bottoms and underwear down enough for him kick them off. As soon as he is completely naked and pressed against her exactly where she wants him, she undoes the front clasp of her bra, sighing as one of his hands immediately cups her breast and traps her nipple between his fingers. She stifles a moan into his shoulder and rocks her hips against his, his erection brushing where she was aching for him. She feels a surge of power when Jackson grunts and pushes back against her. The friction drives her to the brink of insanity. She gasps loudly, pulling his mouth back to hers. She feels him position himself so that he is right at her entrance and whimpers into his mouth. Her legs wrap around him and he pushes into her. She cries out his name as he fills her, igniting every nerve ending in her still sensitive body. He is propped on his elbows, hands tangle into her hair, cradling her head in his hands and kissing her deeply. Between his sharp thrusts and his delicious mouth, she is drowning in him. She feels her body tightening like a coil and she is seconds away from breaking as the heat consumes her. He pulls back from her mouth, resting his forehead against hers, locking their gazes. It doesn't take but a few more thrusts before she feels those ignited nerve endings explode, starting from where they were connected and spreading from her toes to her fingers. She shudders wildly underneath him as the waves crash over her. She feels Jackson's body go rigid as he drives into her sporadically and roughly, sucking in shallow breaths. He collapses on top of her as she slowly sinks back into reality. Her hands lazily travel up his back and she feels like jelly. She can feel her pulse in the tips of her fingers and she can feel every strong and slow heartbeat in her chest.

"Wow," he murmurs into her neck. She doesn't say anything, she just smiles radiantly and continues to run her fingers over his shoulders, enjoying being so close to him. He adjusts himself so that most of his weight is off of her, resting his head on the top of her chest They stay like that for a few minutes, she feels her eyes drift close and she knows she should definitely not be sleeping right now but can't find the energy to move. Unfortunately for her, the sounds of pagers going off simultaneously put an end to their afterglow.

Jackson groans and they both start putting their clothes back on. He blocks her on her way out the door, a huge grin on his handsome face.

"So tonight then?" he asks hopefully

"Yeah." She smiles back at him, completely sated and relaxed. Ready to take on the world. "Tonight."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed their rendezvous. I hadn't planned on the Bailey scene but it just popped up in my head and I couldn't stop picturing the conversation.**

**Let me know what you think in the little box down there. They seriously make my day. **


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